Bistro Verde in Nordstrom

Nordstrom is not only a place to shop to your heart’s content – but also a place you can sip a coffee, grab a cocktail and have a bite to eat. It’s like they intentionally don’t want you to leave….

When Bistro Verde opened up in Nordstrom (on the top floor), it was (and still is) very busy. I came here recently to have lunch – and we had come at a good time where we didn’t have to wait for a seat. The space is open and very airy, there is a lot of seating and had a darker tone to the design. The space looks out onto Robson street with the art gallery right across the street.

For lunch I had the Wild Salmon and Maple Glazed Bacon sandwich ($15.95) made with bacon jam, avocado, tomato and garlic aioli – all on toasted rustic bread. The sandwich came with fries and some more garlic aioli. The portion of salmon in the sandwich was a heap and the bacon jam made it slightly more smokey tasting and sweet. What I’d really like to see in it was something to clean it all up – something bright and citrusy. Overall the dish was good, although the bread was a little burnt.

My dining partner Rachel ordered the Herbed Mushroom flatbread ($12.50) that had provolone, baby arugula and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. It was a nice lighter lunch option and you generally can do no wrong with mushrooms. What I’d love to see with this to elevate it a bit more is truffle oil or maybe some roasted garlic!

The staff was helpful and very friendly, very willing to chat about the menu with me. Our server was telling us that they weren’t expecting it to be this busy opening up, so there were a couple bumps in service, but when you’re living in Nordstrom, you have plenty of time to improve.